The Summer print issue of Golf Inc. magazine offers a unique blueprint for addressing golf’s long-term woes. In case you missed “How to Fix the Golf Industry,” here’s a recap of the four principles Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Jack Crittenden suggests could be an effective strategy for turning around golf’s declining fortunes.
Principle 1: Golf grows when it’s for everyone. Focus on making the game more accessible to everyone, not just the avid golfer. Welcome beginners and newcomers.
Principle 2: Golf is in the hospitality business. Your goal should be figure out the best ways to make customers happy. Make it about them, not about yourself.
Principle 3: Golf is about relationships. Work to encourage people to play with their family or friends. Programs and policies should be tailored toward such a strategy.
Principle 4: Golf will grow when we market it with affable celebrities. The industry needs a new goodwill “ambassador,” ideally a player with a fun, friendly face who can reach out to a mass audience and build on the success of past celebrities like Arnold Palmer.
The current recession has created plenty of hardships for many golf operators and developers. But it’s also given each of us an opportunity to change the way we think about our business.
Do you agree that these principles can provide a road map for the future? What innovative, unique approaches are you taking at your properties that embrace similar principles? We’d like to hear from you.